Most Americans say politics behind Obamacare rollout delay: poll

Two out of three Americans agree that politics influenced the Obama administration’s decision to push this year’s Obamacare enrollment until after the Nov. 4 election, according to a poll released Thursday.

The nationwide poll conducted by HealthPocket found 63 percent of those surveyed said the delay was motivated by political concerns, while 37 percent said politics were not behind the decision to move the enrollment date from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15.

Administration officials have denied that political considerations were a factor in postponing the enrollment date, saying that the decision was made to give insurers more time to set their 2015 rates. The 2014 enrollment, which began Oct. 1, 2013, was heavily criticized after multiple computer glitches.

Republicans have accused the administration of playing politics by concealing the details, including the costs of the health-care plans, until after the midterm elections.

In the poll, respondents were asked, “Do you think the administration delayed the Obamacare enrollment period from October 15th till after the elections for political reasons?” They could choose from two answers: “No, politics weren’t behind the date change” or “Yes, politics influenced the date change.”

“Seventy percent more respondents believed there was a political reason behind the enrollment delay than those who did not,” the poll concluded. “This sentiment crossed geographies as well as gender.”

The survey results were based on 1,264 responses to a nationwide online survey conducted Oct. 24-26. The poll’s margin of error was +/- 3.3 percentage points.